Mrs. HM is not the only one who's not feeling up to par. Oh, sure. There's Farmer H. As if he counts! No, I'm talking about our little Jack.
When I left for town on Wednesday, all was normal around the Mansion. Jack has been staying home lately, most likely due to the recuperation of Copper Jack, the neighbor dog. Copper Jack is getting around much better. He might have something wrong with his back, but he can trot along now, and does himself no favors in jumping off the back of the carport to chase critters.
Speaking of critters, as I pulled out of the driveway, I saw a gigantic rabbit take off from the neighbor's trash dumpster. I guess it was just sitting in the shade of that trash can, taking a breather, because there was no trash around it, and rabbits don't normally go through the trash anyway. That rabbit was as big as my Jack! HUGE! It took off down the neighbor's driveway. Probably had no idea it was going from the frying pan into the fire. That's the Crazy Rottweiler's territory!
Anyhoo... Jack and Juno greeted me on the side porch. And by greeted me, I mean they jostled each other for position for petting, and to get the first handful of cat kibble. When I came home after my errands, all three dogs were laying on the carport. I opened the garage door to park T-Hoe. When I got out, Jack was inside the garage with me. He does that a lot. I leaned over to pet him, and saw that he was not standing on his right front leg!
Jack held that leg up, not even resting the paw on the concrete. He hopped on three legs up the porch steps, and stood on three legs waiting for petting and more cat kibble. He let me touch the leg and paw, but grudgingly. He continued on three legs to the kitchen door for further treats.
I sent Farmer H a text so he could take a look at that leg when he came home. You never know, there might be a thorn in Jack's paw. We have a thorn tree over in the BARn field. Juno has picked one up before.
"Jack hurt his front right leg. He was fine when I left for town, but not stepping on it when I got home."
"He was doing that one day last week."
"So I guess he's acting?"
Seriously. I don't know what Farmer H was getting at. He called me for something else, and I brought it up. Farmer H said that Jack did it before, and by the end of the day was running on that leg like normal. So maybe he hurt it jumping off the porch or carport while I was gone.
I'll check on Jack tomorrow.
4 comments:
A gigantic rabbit? Probably the Easter Bunny, sussing out where to hide your chocolate eggs.
I hope Jack is alright, can you check the paw yourself? without waiting for Farmer H?
River,
Farmer H is the animal doctor. They grudgingly let him gruffly poke and prod at them. I'm more afraid of hurting them. Farmer H will squeeze the paws and manipulate the legs.
I saw Jack trotting across the porch the next morning, as if nothing was amiss. Maybe he has a stone bruise or something on his paw, that gets irritated, and comes and goes. Or maybe he sprained a leg while chasing a giant rabbit.
Foolish rabbits!!Not many survive if they dare to enter my back yard. If the doxies don't get them, Martha, the fat boy cat will! Martha would definitely take on a giant rabbit.
Kathy,
We used to have five cats. The three dogs would have a system of running the rabbits, two on the chase (beagle Tank, and half lab/half beagle Grizzly), and Poor Dumb Ann, the black german shepherd, waiting in the field for them to flush it out. Yet I swear it was the cats who actually killed the rabbits. We'd see one dragging a rabbit across the yard, and then the dogs would take it away.
Our current dogs use the same system, Jack and Copper Jack racing through the underbrush, Juno in the field. Only two cats left, and they're getting old. So it's generally Jack who claims the carcass. Even Copper Jack defers to him, despite the size difference. Maybe Copper Jack has had his special operation. Our Jack has not.
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